In Skyrim, crafting powerful gear is one of the most satisfying aspects of the game, and improving that gear even further through smithing upgrades is essential for any high-level character. One of the most effective ways to maximize weapon and armor upgrades is by using a Fortify Smithing potion. This potion temporarily boosts your smithing skill, allowing you to improve items well beyond your normal capabilities. Whether you’re aiming to create legendary Daedric armor or simply want to sharpen a powerful sword, knowing how to make Fortify Smithing potions can greatly enhance your gameplay. This guide will explain how to craft Fortify Smithing potions, what ingredients you need, and where to find them for the best results.
What Is a Fortify Smithing Potion?
Effect and Benefits
The Fortify Smithing potion increases your Smithing skill temporarily. When consumed, it raises the effectiveness of all smithing actions at a grindstone or workbench, meaning you can significantly improve the damage and armor rating of your crafted gear. This makes the potion a key component of any crafting-focused character build.
Smithing enhancements from potions can stack with bonuses from enchanted gear, making it possible to achieve extremely powerful upgrades. This is especially useful when you’re preparing for high-level fights, crafting endgame armor sets, or fine-tuning your gear before enchanting.
How to Make a Fortify Smithing Potion
Alchemy Skill Required
You don’t need any specific perk in the Alchemy tree to make a Fortify Smithing potion, but having a higher Alchemy skill level improves the strength of the potion. The more your Alchemy skill increases, the more powerful the potion becomes. You can also wear gear that has the Fortify Alchemy enchantment to further boost the potency.
Alchemy Lab
To craft the potion, you must use an alchemy lab, which can be found in various locations across Skyrim:
- Arcadia’s Cauldron in Whiterun
- The College of Winterhold
- Your own player home, if upgraded with an alchemy station
Ingredients Needed
To create a Fortify Smithing potion, you must combine any two ingredients that share the Fortify Smithing effect. The most common ingredient pairs include:
- Blisterwort + Glowing Mushroom
- Sabre Cat Tooth + Glowing Mushroom
- Spriggan Sap + Blisterwort
- Sabre Cat Tooth + Spriggan Sap
Any combination of two ingredients with the Fortify Smithing effect will work. Adding a third matching ingredient will not necessarily boost the potion’s strength but can help you identify multiple effects for alchemy leveling purposes.
Where to Find Fortify Smithing Ingredients
Blisterwort
Blisterwort is a fairly common mushroom that can often be found in caves or purchased from alchemists. Some good locations include:
- Chillwind Depths
- Alchemist shops such as Arcadia’s Cauldron
- Solitude Sawmill area
Glowing Mushroom
Glowing Mushrooms grow in caves and emit a soft blue light, making them easy to spot in the dark. Useful locations include:
- Blackreach
- Chillwind Depths
- Shimmermist Cave
You can also grow Glowing Mushrooms in a Hearthfire greenhouse or at the garden in your player home once you harvest them.
Sabre Cat Tooth
Sabre Cat Teeth are less common but can be obtained by hunting Sabre Cats throughout Skyrim. These creatures are strong, but not overly difficult to defeat for mid-level players. Some places to find them include:
- Near Pinewatch
- The hills outside Whiterun
- Mountains in the Pale and Eastmarch regions
Spriggan Sap
Spriggan Sap can be harder to come by. You may find it by defeating Spriggans in the wild or by purchasing it from alchemy shops. It’s occasionally stocked in:
- Angeline’s Aromatics in Solitude
- The Hag’s Cure in Markarth
- Alchemy lab chests if you’ve built your own home with Hearthfire
Improving Fortify Smithing Potions
Fortify Alchemy Gear
To maximize the effectiveness of your potion, equip gear that increases your Alchemy skill. You can enchant a helmet, gloves, ring, and necklace with Fortify Alchemy using an enchanting table. Here’s the process:
- Use filled soul gems to apply the Fortify Alchemy enchantment
- Enchant gear made from clothing or light armor
- Equip all four enchanted items while crafting the potion
Benefactor Perk
The Benefactor perk in the Alchemy skill tree increases the strength of potions that have beneficial effects. Since Fortify Smithing qualifies as beneficial, this perk is a must-have for serious potion makers.
Alchemy Skill Level
Leveling your Alchemy skill directly affects how powerful your Fortify Smithing potions become. You can level up by crafting potions repeatedly, especially ones with multiple effects, or by reading skill books and training with certain NPCs like Arcadia in Whiterun.
Using Fortify Smithing Potions Effectively
Timing the Potion
The Fortify Smithing potion typically lasts for 30 seconds. During this time, any improvements you make at a grindstone or workbench will receive the temporary smithing boost. To get the most out of the effect:
- Prepare the weapons or armor you want to improve ahead of time
- Position yourself at the grindstone or workbench
- Drink the potion and immediately begin improving your gear
Planning ahead ensures you maximize the short duration of the potion. You cannot pause time while in a crafting menu, so every second counts.
Stacking with Fortify Smithing Gear
For best results, combine your Fortify Smithing potion with gear that has the Fortify Smithing enchantment. You can enchant chest pieces, gloves, rings, and necklaces with this effect. Wearing this gear while using the potion will stack both bonuses, allowing you to push your smithing improvements to legendary levels.
Creating Endgame Gear
Many players use Fortify Smithing potions as part of their crafting loop to create the best gear in Skyrim. This often involves:
- Creating and wearing Fortify Alchemy gear
- Crafting Fortify Smithing potions
- Drinking the potion and upgrading weapons and armor
- Enchanted the improved gear with powerful effects
This cycle can make your Dragonbone or Daedric armor nearly indestructible and your weapons extremely deadly.
Making Fortify Smithing potions in Skyrim is an essential part of maximizing your crafting potential. With the right ingredients, the use of alchemy bonuses, and careful timing, you can enhance your gear far beyond the limits of standard smithing. Whether you’re preparing for the final boss fights, optimizing a stealth build, or just trying to survive in the harsh wilderness of Skyrim, crafting these potions gives you a huge advantage. Gather the right components, build up your alchemy skill, and watch your weapons and armor reach legendary strength with each dose of Fortify Smithing.